Oftentimes in graphical user interfaces displayed via a computer, it is desirable to display a plurality of graphical items to a user. Furthermore, it may be desirable to a designer of the graphical user interface to have the user view graphical items on the graphical user interface in a certain sequence (e.g., most important information should be consumed first by the user). For instance, the designer of the graphical user interface may wish that the user first view a first graphical item and thereafter view a second graphical item, and if the user is not interested in the first two graphical items, thereafter view a third graphical item. Conventionally, ascertaining a view sequence of users to aid in designing a graphical user interface has been relatively expensive, wherein a view sequence is a sequence in which a plurality of graphical items are viewed.
One conventional mechanism for ascertaining view sequences of users is to display a graphical user interface to a plurality of users and thereafter have the users indicate which graphical items they viewed and in which sequence such graphical items were viewed. Data obtained from such a survey approach may be skewed, however, as users may act differently in a laboratory environment and may inaccurately describe which graphical items were viewed and in what order the graphical items were viewed. Furthermore, obtaining space for a laboratory, managing such experiments, etc., can be an expensive endeavor.
Another example approach that has been conventionally employed to ascertain view sequence of users is to utilize eye tracking devices to monitor where users focus their eyes with respect to graphical items displayed on the graphical user interface. This approach is also expensive, as users must be obtained to perform the experiments, and the eye tracking systems are known to be relatively expensive. Furthermore, as noted above, users may act differently in a laboratory/experimental setting.
To mitigate expense associated with ascertaining how users view graphical items in a graphical user interface, designers of graphical user interfaces typically assume that viewers of the graphical user interface view graphical items sequentially from left to right and/or top to bottom. In reality, however, users often will initially view graphical items from top to bottom or left to right, and thereafter return their focus to a previously viewed graphical item.